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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28004019">Deliveries to the heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactusAzul/pseuds/CactusAzul'>CactusAzul</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Fluff, I just pointed a gun to my friend and said "read it bitch" and he did and now we're here, Kinda had a beta reader, M/M, Mentioned Ben Hanscom, Mentioned Beverly Marsh, Minor Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier Has ADHD, Slow Burn, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, Soft Richie Tozier, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, if u squint, literally just fluff, not that slow cuz it's only 3 chapters, richie is kinda slow ngl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:47:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28004019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactusAzul/pseuds/CactusAzul</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eddie heard the sound of a bike stopping outside of the store. A boy that looked to be his age, slightly curly hair and big round glasses, stepped inside. He wasn’t traditionally pretty, but his lanky body and the way his eyes looked too big for his face with those glasses made Eddie’s heart skip a beat. “Must be one of the new delivery guys” Eddie thought, looking at the notes he had for the next delivery.</p><p>“Hey, any deliveries for me?” his voice was loud and a bit extra, but surprisingly smooth.</p><p>“Just some pills for Mr. Garcia. I’ll write you the address, just a minute” Eddie  scribbled the street’s name and house number on a piece of paper, handing it to the guy, their fingers brushing for a second.</p><p>“Thanks, cutie.” the guy said, winking and picking up the paper bag and leaving the store.</p><p>And, like that, Eddie was left standing behind the counter, bright red and speechless.<br/>-<br/>Based on the Prompt: My friend can’t stop talking about this person he wants to introduce to me, so we started texting and they’re fun, but we’re shy AND there’s this person that comes delivery my packages on their bike who always flirts with me when I go sign it AU</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just a warning: english isn't my first language, so be sure to point out (nicely plz) any mistakes I've made!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>✧༺♥༻∞ Eddie ∞༺♥༻✧</p><p>Eddie looked at the clock on the drugstore’s wall, 2:30pm, his shift was almost over. Not that he was doing much anyway, waiting for the delivery guys to show up and giving them instructions wasn’t that hard of a job, and it usually took so little time that he had no idea how he was being paid for that. Most of the time he spent just cleaning the counters every time a costumer left, killing all the possible germs they could have left there.</p><p>As if on cue, Eddie heard the sound of a bike stopping outside of the store. A boy that looked to be his age, slightly curly hair and big round glasses, stepped inside the store. He wasn’t traditionally pretty, but his lanky body and the way his eyes looked too big for his face with those glasses made Eddie’s heart skip a beat. <em>“Must be one of the new delivery guys”</em> Eddie thought, looking at the notes he had for the next delivery.</p><p>“Hey, any deliveries for me?” his voice was loud and a bit extra, but surprisingly smooth. Eddie eyed him up and down, trying to decide if he knew him or not, before reading the instructions for the package next to him.</p><p>“Just some pills for Mr. Garcia. I’ll write you the address, just a minute” Eddie put a paper bag with the medicine on the counter and scribbled the street’s name and house number on a piece of paper, handing it to the guy, their fingers brushing for a second.</p><p>“Thanks, cutie.” the guy said, winking and picking up the paper bag and leaving the store. He could see the new delivery guy hopping on his bike, rushing towards the street.</p><p>Eddie was left standing behind the counter, bright red and speechless, as the guy from the next shift walked towards the counter, waiting for him to leave.</p><p>✧༺♥༻∞༺♥༻✧</p><p>“Though day at work, Eddie?” Mike whispered trying not to attract the professor’s attention to himself. “You don’t look so good.”</p><p>Eddie took a quick glance at his friend next to him. He thought about the few days he had spent working as “the new kid” at the local drugstore, his mind wandering back to the cute delivery guy with the glasses.</p><p>“I’m just tired of dealing with the delivery guys.” he sighed, looking at his notes when the professor’s glance went his direction. “I wanna do something more useful! I’m in the middle of a biochemistry course, for fuck’s sake, I shouldn’t be having to memorize which fucking old lady takes which pills!”</p><p>Mike chuckled, turning his attention back to the professor and taking notes rapidly. The younger boy tried to do the same, hoping for class to be over already. He couldn’t wait to get to his apartment and take a long shower.</p><p>The professor finished his lecture, dispensing the class and watching as they all happily started gathering their stuff and walking out the door. Eddie walked to his apartment, unlocking the door, and taking his shoes off, leaving them at the entrance, sighing heavily as he let himself drop on the couch.</p><p>“How was c-class?” asked Bill, taking his eyes off the notebook on his lap and looking at his roommate.</p><p>“I wanna slam my head on this table until I have an excuse to skip class for the rest of the year”</p><p>“That’d be a c-com-comma” Bill laughed, not amused.</p><p>“Exactly” Eddie smirked, letting a long yawn escape his lips. “Seriously though, remind me again why I decided to get a Biochemistry degree?”</p><p>“Cause you’re too paranoid to t-trust anyone else making your m-m-medicine.”</p><p>“I’m not paranoid! I just wanna know what I’m taking, that’s all!” another yawn, and he was up, heading to his bedroom. “I’ll go take a shower, can you please order some food? None of that fast-food junk though, some REAL food” he added, quickly.</p><p>Humming an agreement, Bill got up from the armchair he was slouched on, heading for the phone. Eddie closed the bathroom door, leaving his pyjamas on the stool next to the sink, hearing Bill’s voice as he ordered some sushi for dinner. He felt the stress getting washed off, along with how many germs he came in contact with that day, as the hot water ran through his body.</p><p>Turning the shower off and getting into his PJ’s, Eddie came back to the living room, watching curiously as Bill smiled at his phone.</p><p>“So is the sushi really that funny or what?” he joked, sitting next to the taller guy and eyeing his phone curiously.</p><p>“Just talking to St-Stan.” Bill said. “He’s from my p-p-psychology class.” he added, upon seeing the curious look on his roommate’s face. “He ask-asked if I wanted to join a group with him and his best f-f-friend, Richie. Mind if we p-put you in there too?”</p><p>“Go for it, I guess.” Eddie sighed as he heard a notification on his phone. “But they better not be psychos or I’ll fucking murder you in your sleep.”</p><p>“I think you’re the psy-psycho here.” he laughed, hearing the intercom ring and getting up to get the food. “Be right b-b-back.”</p><p>Eddie looked at his phone, the notifications only getting more and more frequent, he decided he’d mute the group as soon as he unlocked the screen. Scrolling to the beginning of the chat, he started reading everything, getting more and more entertainment with each message.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>.</strong>
  <strong>｡</strong>
  <strong>*</strong>
  <strong>ﾟ</strong>
  <strong>+</strong>
  <strong> GazeboEffect joined the chat </strong>
  <strong>+</strong>
  <strong>ﾟ</strong>
  <strong>*</strong>
  <strong>｡</strong>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p><p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Welcome! You must be Eddie, Bill was talking about you. I’m Stanley, but you can call me Stan.</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>I’m richie</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>u can call me</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>well</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>richie</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>or trashmouth</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>or tozier</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>whatever works for u</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>tho richie is the name</p><p><strong>Trashmouth:</strong> u still ther?</p><p><strong>Stan the Man: </strong>God, Richie, wait at least a few minutes before deciding to pester the new guy.</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>but that’s my specialty ;)</p><p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Sadly.</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Yeah, I’m here</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Bill warned me that he’d put me here, but I wasn’t expecting that</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>You guys always talk that much?</p><p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Don’t worry, Richie’s just excited to have someone new to annoy with his terrible jokes. We don’t call him Trashmouth Tozier for nothing.</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>damn</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>trash the trashmouth, why don’t we?</p>
<hr/><p>Eddie heard Bill closing the apartment door, locking his phone and watching a tired Bill place the order on the table in front of him, gasping for air as he got back to his armchair, notebook back on his lap.</p><p>“What happened? You look like me that time I tried to run the school marathon.” he joked, grabbing his food from the table.</p><p>“Elevator w-would take too long” Bill took a deep breath. “Decided to take the st-stairs”</p><p>“Damn, thanks Bill.” taking a bite out of his temaki, Eddie turned his gaze to the phone, still blowing up with notifications. “So, what’s up with them?”</p><p>“Stan and R-R-Richie?” mouth full of shimeji, he asked. “Well, I haven’t talked m-much to Richie, but Stan’s a really nice guy. We got paired for a psy-psychology project and got along. Richie’s his b-b-best friend, so I wanted to meet him too.”</p><p>Eddie just nodded, going back to his temaki. He muted the group chat, as Bill had started talking with Stan there, making his phone ping every few seconds. When he was just a few bites left, Eddie heard another ping.</p>
<hr/><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>stan and bill won’t stop talking</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>they could just go to their dms but noooooo</p><p><strong>Trashmouth:</strong> they gotta blow up our phones too</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>so, what’s a lad like you doing on this fine evening?</p>
<hr/><p>Eddie snorted, finishing his Temaki and deciding to text Richie back. Usually, Eddie didn’t have many people he texted, of course, there was Bill and occasionally Mike, but apart from them he didn’t have many friends he could text. Maybe Ben? But Ben was too busy with architecture classes and extra clubs to talk to Eddie.</p><p>Throwing the wrap away and washing his hands, he went back to his phone, noticing an ungodly number of messages on the group chat. He decided to ignore them for now, reaching for Richie’s contact and starting to type.</p><p>✧༺♥༻∞ Richie ∞༺♥༻✧</p><p>The Street Fighter Arcade jingle echoed through Richie’s kitchen, making the boy turn the gaze from his homework to his phone, stretching with a yawn and leaning on the counter to reach the old Samsung.</p><p>It was from Eddie. He smiled, opening their chat and reading the new messages.</p>
<hr/><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>trying not to get crazy with the notifications, I’m glad there’s an option to mute that thing</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>what about you?</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>nothing much, just some homework. speaking of homework, whatcha doing for college, eds?</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>don’t call me that</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>never heard of it, what do you learn there?</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I’m serious, Richie</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I study Biochemistry</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>wowzer, sounds complicated</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>why’d you wanna put yourself through that?</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>What do <em>you</em> do?</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>theatrical arts</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Why am I not surprised?</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>bc I’m the perfect source of entertainment and you know it ;)</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Shut up, Richie</p>
<hr/><p>Richie smiled, looking at the clock on the wall, almost 10pm. He really needed to finish that paper, but there was a weird feeling on his chest keeping him from getting away from the phone. He continued to chat with Eddie for a bit, the guy seemed nice enough, and Richie found himself a bit sad that he didn’t have a profile picture of himself but, oh well, Richie didn’t either.</p><p>They talked about college, about friends, favorite movies, food and whatever came to mind, neither seemed to notice the time passing, as it was nearly 12am and they were still happily chatting. That warm feeling on his chest never left, seeming to only get stronger as the chat went on.</p>
<hr/><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Look at the time! It’s almost midnight!</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>fuck</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>I have classes early in the morning tomorrow</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>And I have like, 3 papers due this Friday</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>is it bad that I don’t wanna go?</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Probably, but I don’t wanna go either</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>guess we’re stuck here</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I didn’t say I wasn’t going</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>ouch, eds</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>you hurt me</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>my heart has been broken and my mind is filled with anguish</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Shut up</p><p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>well goodnight to you too</p><p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Goodnight, Richie</p>
<hr/><p>Richie adjusted the glasses on his face, preventing them from falling but also out of habit. He decided to leave the homework for tomorrow, already in his pyjamas, turning off the kitchen lights and going to his room.</p><p>Normally Richie would read something before sleeping, but his eyelids were already feeling like closing, and he needed to be up at 7am the next day. Taking his glasses off and placing them on the nightstand, Richie climbed onto bed and dozed off.</p><p>✧༺♥༻∞༺♥༻✧</p><p>Classes were over for the day. Richie sat with Stan on the patio, as usual, and prepared himself mentally for work. He wondered if he’d see the cute guy from last time again, with hazelnut eyes and short fluffy hair.</p><p>Richie imagined himself playing with that fluffy hair, hands running through it while the boy lazily rested his head on Richie’s lap. He felt himself blush a little at this thought, earning a confused glance from Stan.</p><p>“Are you okay, Richie?” he asked, worried. “Do you have a fever or something?”</p><p>“Nah, Stan the Man. I’m just thinking about last night with your mo-”</p><p>“Finish this sentence and I’m telling Eddie about the Clown incident.“ Stan cut him off, smirking.</p><p>“And why would I care?” Richie tried to bluff, getting even more flushed.</p><p>“Because Bill could hear him laughing last night from his room and we both know the reason was you.” The smirk on Stan’s face only grew as Richie tried to ignore the heat on his cheeks.</p><p>“W-Why would the reason be me?”</p><p>“Come on, Richie. I know you.”</p><p>“Fine, fine. I may or may not have spent almost the entire evening talking to Eddie, so what?” he adjusted his glasses, anxiously. “It’s not like you ain’t spending all of your awake time with Bill.”</p><p>“Richie, we have a psychology project to do.” Stan retorted. “And you should be thanking us, who would’ve introduced you to Eddie if it wasn’t us?”</p><p>Richie muttered a <em>“fair enough”</em> and looked at his phone’s screen. 2pm, he should be heading to work. He bid his friend farewell and hopped on his bike, pedalling out of the college grounds and into the busy streets.</p><p>He felt the wind on his face as he went, standing up on his bike and laughing like a child as he sped through the streets, slowing down as he saw the drugstore getting closer. He stopped in front of the small building, leaving his bike tied to a pole in front of the store and stepping in.</p><p>The cute guy was at the counter again, watching him curiously as he barged in, asking for any deliveries. Richie noticed he had a smile on his face, and it made his heart skip a beat.</p><p>“You can deliver those ointments to Ms. Campbell, he’s already paid for them beforehand, so don’t worry about it.” the boy mentioned, giving him the address and paper bag. “Be safe out there.”</p><p>“Aww, worried about me?” Richie joked, already leaving the store. “I’ll take care, even though your worried face is pretty cute.”</p><p>And if Richie had looked for a second longer, he’d have seen the flushed look on the smaller guy’s face.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hii! I'm almost done with the last chapter, so I'm confident in posting this now!</p>
<p>Richie's texts are written with many typos on his chats with Stan, and that's on purpose! But if you guys find any other typos or grammar errors outside of those messages be sure to point it out!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>✧༺♥༻∞ Eddie ∞༺♥༻✧</p>
<p>A few weeks had passed since Eddie and Richie first started talking, Bill started jokingly complaining about his friend forgetting him over “Trashmouth f-f-fucking Tozier!”. Eddie usually just rolls his eyes at him, but he can’t deny the tint of red on his face every time he stops to think about it for too long.</p>
<p>It’s not like he’s in love with Richie, he just enjoys talking to him, reading his stupid jokes, telling him how his day went, ranting about professors, asking about random stuff like his favourite food or if he has any pets. Just stuff friends usually do… right?</p>
<p>He didn’t want to think about it too much, and Bill wasn’t gonna push him further than the occasional joke, which Eddie was more than grateful for.</p>
<p>“How’s the project with Stan going?” Eddie asked, curiously. “You complain that I’m leaving you for Richie, but I almost never see you home either. It’s always <em>“I’m going over to Stan” </em>or <em>”Sorry, Eddie, can’t talk now, I’m on a call with Stan”</em>.”</p>
<p>“It’s almost ov-over, don’t worry, you’ll have me b-back.” Bill smiled. “We j-just wanted to make some a-ad-adjustments before turning it in and presenting it, and we still have a week left.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like you guys are doing good. Damn, I wish some of my projects were in groups, Mike would be a great help.” he walked over to the kitchen sink, washing his own plate and heading to his room. “I’m gonna head to bed, goodnight, Bill!”</p>
<p>“G-goodnight, Eddie. Don’t stay up too late t-talking to Richie.” Bill smirked, starting to wash his own plate.</p>
<p>Eddie scrunched up his nose, a reluctant smile on his face, he couldn’t even deny it, he was looking up to chatting with Richie before going to bed like they did every day. He walked to his bedroom, closing the door behind him and unlocking his phone, a few messages already on his screen, the brunette smiled fondly, opening the messages and reading through them quickly.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>hey eds</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>how was your day?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>mine was pretty nice</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>in case you’re wondering ;)</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Don’t call me that</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>My day was okay, had a bunch of homework again, can’t wait for summer break to come</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>any plans for the summer, eddie spaghetti?</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>That’s even worse than Eds</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I haven’t planned anything yet</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Definitely not coming home for summer break tho, might stay with Bill for a while idk</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>wanna do something over the summer?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>ngl I don’t have plans either</p>
<hr/>
<p>Eddie’s smile got bigger, Richie was too nice, but it got him thinking about something else. He didn’t even know what Richie looked like, and he was already falling for him, hard. Not that his looks could make Eddie like him any less, but it’d be nice to know what he looked like and have a face for the one he daydreamed about.</p>
<p>But Eddie didn’t want to ask, especially because it would lead to him having to say what he looks like too, and he didn’t think he was ready for that. So, he just ignored that curiosity on his head, and continued chatting, answering Richie’s question and deciding to make the first move.</p>
<p>✧༺♥༻∞ Richie ∞༺♥༻✧</p>
<p>Richie was starting to get a bit nervous, he wanted to go out with Eddie in person, wanted to hold hands and go on dates and do all this cheesy stuff, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Eddie out. They seemed to be hitting it off nicely, but what if he was reading too much into it? Richie didn’t even know if he liked guys!</p>
<p>He talked to Stan earlier that day, asking for help. Stan already knew about his crush on Eddie, and he usually had good ideas, so he decided to swallow his pride and ask for help for once.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>stan</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth:</strong> help</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>God dammit what is it, Richie?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>eddie</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Why did I even ask?</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Did you say anything stupid or are you just freaking out for no reason?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>how do u ask somoene if they like guys???</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Oh</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>You should start flirting with him and see if he reciprocates.</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Can’t be that hard to notice.</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>u’re literally studying human behaviour of coruse u find it easy wtf</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>not every one of us knows how to read minds</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Want me to read your messages? :)</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>nO</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Well, it’s either that or you fuck off and leave me alone.</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>rude</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>I’ll try it tho, thx luv u &lt;3</p>
<hr/>
<p>So, he decided to just ask Eddie if he wanted to do something over summer. He didn’t even give him a specific day, so he could back off whenever he wanted. He didn’t even answer yet, and Richie was already panicking.</p>
<p>Was it too far? Should he take it back before it was too late? What if Eddie thought he was a creep and stopped talking to him? He took a quick glance at his phone, adjusting his glasses.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>sure thing, Chee</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>chee?</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Well, if you’re gonna keep calling me nicknames, I’ll have to come up with some for you too</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>that’s what “trashmouth” is for tho</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>But I’m not the one that came up with it</p>
<hr/>
<p>Richie couldn’t stop blushing, the warm feeling on his chest only getting stronger. Eds gave him a nickname, and not just that, he made a point of being the one that came up with it.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>fuck you’re too cute</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>What?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>was that too weird?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>I’m sorry</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>just forget I said anything plz</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Hey</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>It’s okay</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>You’re pretty cute too, Chee</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>nah, I’m not</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>why do u think I gotta be funny?</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>What?</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>not many people appreciate the looks of Trashmouth Tozier</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Not many people have good taste, apparently</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I find you really cute, Chee</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth:</strong> well you might be the first one, my sweet eddie spaghetti</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>plus u don’t even know what I look like</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Well, I’ll see what you look like when we go out on the summer, I guess</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>I bet you’re really cute eds</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>cute cute cute</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>you’re pushing it, Richie</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I take it back, you’re not cute, you’re insufferable</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>what happened to “chee”? :(</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>You lost “Chee” rights</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I gotta go to sleep, it’s getting pretty late</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>oh, ok then</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>goodnight eds</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Goodnight, Chee</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong> :)</p>
<hr/>
<p>✧༺♥༻∞༺♥༻✧</p>
<p>“How was the talk with Eddie yesterday? Did you do what I told you to?” classes were over, and Richie and Stan were back at the entrance of the school, talking about Richie’s depressing flirt attempts.</p>
<p>“I did, but I’m not sure if he’s taking it seriously or if he thinks it’s just a joke!” Richie exclaimed, worried. “I asked if he wanted to go out on summer break, and he accepted! He even called me ‘Chee’!”</p>
<p>“He gave you a pet name. And you’re still unsure if he likes you or not?!”</p>
<p>“Oh my god, Stan, what if we meet and he hates how I look?” the boy freaked out more. “What if I’m absolutely not his type and he decides to just stay friends?!”</p>
<p>“Then you’ll have a new friend and I’ll have to watch you cry over stupid romcoms again. But wait, what you’re telling me is that you and Eddie still don’t know what the other looks like?” Stan asked, incredulously. “Really, Trashmouth? Not even a single picture?”</p>
<p>“Nop.” he says, making a ‘pop’ sound for the ‘p’. “I don’t mind, to be honest. Didn’t think he’d wanna go out after seeing what I look like.”</p>
<p>“Come on, you don’t look half as bad as you think.” Richie chuckled dryly at that. “I’m serious, Richie. And I’m sure Eddie will tell you the same when you meet.”</p>
<p>“Well, I fucking hope so. Damn, Stan, I bet he’s gorgeous.” he started going on a tangent for a second, receiving an exasperated look from Stan.</p>
<p>“Look, as much as I like to hear you gush about your crush, I have stuff to do, and you’re almost late for work.” his friend pointed out, showing him the time on his phone. <em>2:50pm</em>. “And, if I’m not mistaken, there’s a certain <em>“cute boy with the big puppy eyes” </em>getting out of work right now.”</p>
<p>“Fuck! Gotta run!” Richie hopped on his bike, desperate. “Bye, Stanley the Manley! Thanks for the help, I love you!”</p>
<p>Speeding through the streets, Richie almost crashes into the drugstore’s wall, leaving his bike on the ground as he runs inside the store. The familiar guy was at the balcony, coat already off, seemingly getting ready to leave. When he saw Richie, he left out a relieved sigh, smiling at him, like he had smiled for the last few weeks.</p>
<p>“Thought I wouldn’t see you today. You ok?” the guy asked, failing miserably at hiding how worried he was.</p>
<p>“Sorry, just got out of college a bit late, it’s all.” he tried to smile, shyly, while catching up his breath. “What are you still doing here, though? I thought your shift was already over.”</p>
<p>“Wanted to know if you were okay.” the guy shrugged. “Here’s your delivery order!” handing him a note, the smaller man started to leave, opening the store’s doors and getting out, as another employee got behind the counter and took his place.</p>
<p>“Thanks, sunshine.” Richie followed him outside, the words left his mouth before he even thought about it. “Sorry, Trashmouth.” he added, pointing to himself.</p>
<p>The guy stopped at his tracks, confused, as Richie hopped on his bike again, reading the address on the note. He was starting to leave when he heard the voice behind him.</p>
<p>“Hey! Before you go! W-What’s your name?”</p>
<p>“Richie.” he smiled. “My name’s Richie. Sorry, gotta go now!” he added, before leaving in a hurry.</p>
<p>✧༺♥༻∞ Eddie ∞༺♥༻✧</p>
<p>He could hear his consciousness screaming at him. Eddie started walking to class, a million thoughts on his head, was that RICHIE? Like, his Richie??? The cute guy he was texting almost all the time and the handsome delivery guy from his work were the same person???</p>
<p>He started thinking about the way Richie talked, and the way “delivery Richie” jokingly flirted with him, and the more he thought the more he noticed the similarities. If that was really the Richie he was talking to, Eddie was happy to finally have a face for Stan’s cute friend.</p>
<p>He couldn’t help himself, as soon as he got to class, he said a quick hi to Mike, going to his seat and pulling his phone out of his pocket, making sure the professor couldn’t see it.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Stan</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I’m sorry if you’re busy, but I need to talk to you.</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Sure, is everything okay?</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I think I just talked to Richie</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Well, you guys are always talking.</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>No, I mean</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>In person</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>When did you guys meet? And what do you mean with “you think”?</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Tall, curly dark brown hair, black eyes and glasses so thick his eyes look 5 times bigger than they should be</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Front teeth are a bit bigger than the others, rides an orange and red bike. Told me his name was Richie before almost riding into a busy street</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Ok, that was definitely Richie. How?</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>He’s a delivery guy at the drugstore I work at. Been flirting with me for a few weeks now, what do I do??</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Wait, that’s you? You haven’t told him??</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>It happened like, five minutes ago! And what do you mean “that’s you?”??</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>Let’s just say Richie talked about you before.</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>How do I tell him?</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>I think I have an idea.</p>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>It’ll make things less awkward, trust me.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Before Eddie could say anything else, he got a notification from the group chat. <em>“Oh, no” </em>he thought, opening it fearfully. He read the paragraph Stan wrote, trying to ignore how Mike was looking at him with a worried face, probably noticing how much he was freaking out.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>StanTheMan: </strong>So, me and Bill are almost over with our project, there’s just a few details we must finish. You guys want to meet up so we can hang out after we finish our work?</p>
<p><strong>CaptainBill: </strong>Sure! We could meet at our apartment!! Me and Eddie have a few games we can play, and you guys could bring snacks</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I don’t have much college work this weekend, so Sunday would be cool</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>wait what</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>sure, but I don’t know where you guys live</p>
<hr/>
<p>Eddie smiled, blocking his phone and trying to focus on class. Mike was a bit less worried after seeing him smile, and class went by with no problem. Eddie was beaming, he would finally be able to talk to Richie face to face!</p>
<p>Of course, there was the fear of Richie not liking him, but he already flirted with him personally and via text, so the chances of that were pretty low.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>so we’re finally gonna meet</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>gotta say I’m excited</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>Me too</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>I’m curious of what you look like</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>bet you’re really cute</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>cute cute cute</p>
<p><strong>GazeboEffect: </strong>I’m sure you’re handsome and you’re just pretending you’re not so I don’t feel bad</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>sorry to crush your dreams, cutie</p>
<p><strong>Trashmouth: </strong>but my nickname in elementary school wasn’t “beaver boy” for nothing</p>
<hr/>
<p>Eddie smiled to himself, remembering how Richie’s front teeth stuck out a bit, nothing big, he just thought it was a small charm he had. But he, better than anyone else, knew how mean kids could be. He’d make sure to tell Richie how pretty he was if everything went well.</p>
<p>Eddie knew he shouldn’t overthink it too much, or else he’d probably have an asthma attack or something. So, he left his phone aside, and tried to focus on what the professor was saying.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey hey hey! I'm so sorry for taking so long with this one!! But I finally pulled through after everything and finished writing this chapter while listening to ungodly amounts of Babymetal.</p><p>Hope you guys enjoy it &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>✧</span>
  <span>༺</span>
  <span>♥</span>
  <span>༻</span>
  <span>∞ Richie ∞</span>
  <span>༺</span>
  <span>♥</span>
  <span>༻</span>
  <span>✧</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To say that Richie was panicking would be an understatement, he almost passed out when Stan suddenly suggested the group chat meeting for a game night or whatever they decided to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was mentally preparing himself to meet Eddie in the summer, on his own time, without a plan or even a date, but suddenly it was real, it was too real. He had a date, a time, a place, other people that were coming too, he couldn’t help but panic.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>what the FUCK was taht????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>What was what?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>“let’s meet on the weeknd and fkcu with richie cuz he’s too scraed to meet hiscrush”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>Wow, you’re really panicked, huh?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>It’s gonna be okay, Richie, I promise.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>stan wtf do you jknwo???</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>Well at least you spell check before sending stuff to Eddie. I’m serious, Trashmouth, this hurts to read.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>But, regarding your panic, I’m almost 100% sure he likes you back.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>I hate u</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>I hate u so much</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>gonna puke all ovr ur carpet when I get ther</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>You coming over?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>cn’t beat the shit out of u without geting closr</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>Okay, I’ll leave the door open then.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>u’re too nice I hate u</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>I’m gonna panic and look stupd in front of eddie omfg</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>Just out of curiosity, are you texting while riding your bike here?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>walkng</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>want me to bring snacks?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>Weren’t you going to beat the shit out of me?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>changed my mind</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>need moral spport</span>
</p><p>
  <b>StanTheMan: </b>
  <span>Bring some gummy bears then.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walk from the corner store to Stan’s apartment was quick, but enough for Richie to blow some steam off. He waved at the doorman, stepping into the elevator and looking at himself in the mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was a mess, his hair was wild after biking up and down nonstop, his bright yellow shirt with kiwi stamps hasn’t been ironed in what seemed like forever, and his glasses were slightly crooked on his nose. His face was flushed from the fast walking and he carried 2 bags of snacks for him and Stan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adjusting his glasses anxiously, he remembered his friend’s text, turning the doorknob and entering the apartment. Richie saw a focused Stan on the couch, laptop on his lap and a notepad on his hands, scribbling something down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of the door closing made him look in its direction, seeing a very tired and very panicked Richie coming his direction. Stan stretched his hand, grabbing a bag of gummy bears and opening it happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck, Stan?!” Richie plopped down on the armchair next to him. “That was nothing like you, what the fuck happened?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you must know, I got a text from Eddie.” he replied, separating the gummy bears by colour. “He wanted some help with you. And me, being the amazing, and most competent, friend you have, decided it’s time for you guys to meet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bev’s pretty competent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does Beverly know about Eddie?” Richie nodded. “And what did she tell you to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just meet up with him already, if he doesn’t like you it’s his loss.” Richie made air quotes, making a bad imitation of Beverly’s voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she’s competent enough. You guys are just useless.” he popped a green gummy bear into his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But wait! When did Eddie message you?” the brunette stole a yellow gummy bear, receiving a death glare from Stan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yesterday.” Stan shrugged. “He knew I was your best friend and asked for help. And no, you can’t see the messages.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! But I tell you about our messages all the time!” the betrayal on Richie’s voice was almost palpable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do, unfortunately.” with an eye roll, he tucked his phone on his pocket, away from Richie. “But Eddie asked me not to talk to you about it, so I’m already saying more than I should.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, if he asked then who am I to judge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who knew it just took a single man to finally tame Richie Trashmouth Tozier himself.” Stan joked, receiving a light punch on his shoulder. “I’m serious, you even try to write words when messaging him, compared to the fucking code you send me sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t like autocorrect.” he mumbled, stealing a handful of gummy bears and fleeing before Stan could try and murder him. “Plus, it’s a charm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Illiteracy isn’t a charm, you fucking moron.” he laughed as Stan sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continued with the bickering for a few, before Richie looked at the clock next to the door, almost 9pm, he had to get home. He got up, sighing and gesturing to the door, as Stan stood up from the couch, lazily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be fine, okay? I’m sure he’ll love you, Richie.” Stan smiled fondly, leaving the bickering aside for a few seconds. “It almost seems like he already does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Stan. You’re the best.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off, we were having a moment there.” Richie shoved him playfully, as he opened the front door. “See ya tomorrow, Stanley the Manley, I’ll meet ya here and then we can go together, ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing, Trashmouth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>✧</span>
  <span>༺</span>
  <span>♥</span>
  <span>༻</span>
  <span>∞</span>
  <span>༺</span>
  <span>♥</span>
  <span>༻</span>
  <span>✧</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there they were, on an Uber on their way to Bill and Eddie’s place. Richie felt his palms get sweaty, his breathing was starting to get too fast, and he decided he needed a distraction. Stan was sitting next to him, telling Richie it was gonna be fine and pleading for him to not make any of his </span>
  <em>
    <span>“stupid fucking jokes”</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what kind of party would it be without the greatest source of entertainment you guys have?” Richie smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a party, Trashmouth. We’re just working on college stuff and eating chips.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nerd alert.” he chuckled, earning an unamused look from Stan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decided to text Eddie, just to warn him they were already on their way there. Their messages from the day before, where Eddie called him “really handsome”, made him smile a bit, and then got him even more anxious. What if Eddie got disappointed? What if he found Richie too annoying? What if he hated his voice?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie pushed these thoughts aside, unlocking his phone and typing a quick message.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>we’re almost there</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>uber said it’d be five more minutes</span>
</p><p>
  <b>GazeboEffect: </b>
  <span>Oooooh, we’re finishing everything up here</span>
</p><p>
  <b>GazeboEffect: </b>
  <span>Apartment number 32, don’t forget it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>okidoki</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Trashmouth: </b>
  <span>see ya there, cutie ;)</span>
</p><p>
  <b>GazeboEffect: </b>
  <span>See ya, Chee. Take care &lt;3</span>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hiding his face on his hands, Richie left out a heavy sigh, Eddie was definitely gonna be the death of him. Stan just looked at him, a smirk on his face, and rolled his eyes, nudging his friend’s shoulder with his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The uber trip was quick after that. They thanked the driver and gathered their stuff, getting out of the car and walking towards the small building where Bill and Eddie lived. Richie watched anxiously as Stan dialed the apartment number on the intercom, turning his head towards the small speaker as a voice answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B-Bill here,” Stan could see Richie’s shoulders relax. “I’ll open the door for you g-g-guys, just a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They waited patiently, Richie playing with a loose string on the hem of his pink Hawaiian shirt, small blue flowers scattered through it. He liked this shirt, he wondered if Eddie would like it too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, that was pretty fucking gay” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, chuckling to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of keys turning and a door slowly opening took him out of his trance, head turning to the auburn-haired boy on the other side of the door. His eyes darted to Richie for a second, smiling, and then back to Stan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m glad you guys could c-c-come.” he said, opening space for them to come in. “I think the elevator is s-s-still on this floor, l-let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you’re the famous Bill!” Richie exclaimed, as they came in, following Bill through the small lobby and into the elevator. “Stan talked about you, almost too much for my liking, Billiam!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you must be R-R-Richie. Eddie won’t stop t-talking about you.” he laughed, pressing the elevator button and looking at Richie’s shirt. “B-Bold style, Eddie’s gonna h-hate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, your mom liked when I wore it last ni-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Richie, please don’t start with the mom jokes.” his friend pleaded, turning to Bill. “Told you, Trashmouth.” he pointed at his friend, hearing the elevator ping and the doors open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, S-Stan.” Bill laughed, turning to Richie again. “I don’t k-know what kind of w-w-witchcraft you did, but Eddie seems to like your p-personality enough not to k-kill you, so it can’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>t-that </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, it can.” Stan said, earning a chuckle from Richie. “And this is coming from someone that’s friends with this fucker since kindergarten.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stopped in front of apartment 32, waiting for Bill to open the door. Richie sighed heavily, gripping the bags on his hands and looking at Stan quickly, receiving a comforting smile, his heart thumping with anticipation and anxiety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eddie, they’re h-h-here.” he opened the door, going inside the small apartment. “Please, tell me you d-didn’t have a heart attack while I was g-g-gone. I don’t wanna deal with your mom t-trying to sue me for </span>
  <em>
    <span>“not taking care of her p-precious Eddie-Bear”</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut the fuck up, Bill, I’m fine! And don’t talk about my mom, especially not while making that voice! Also never call me Eddie-Bear again or I'll break your kneecaps!” a familiar voice exclaimed, filled with pure anger. “I was just searching for the board games you asked for, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> decided to put them all at the far back of an old cabinet no one uses, with a bunch of DVD’s in front of them! </span>
  <em>
    <span>We don’t even have a DVD player, Bill</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie laughed, finally looking inside, locking eyes with the oh-so familiar face of the small boy from the drugstore. Big brown eyes looking back at him, a smile smirk on his lips as he noticed Richie's surprised expression, before his gaze went to Richie’s shirt, and his expression changed to one of pure disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>✧</span>
  <span>༺</span>
  <span>♥</span>
  <span>༻</span>
  <span>∞ Eddie ∞</span>
  <span>༺</span>
  <span>♥</span>
  <span>༻</span>
  <span>✧</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there he was, the prettiest boy Eddie has ever seen in his life, wearing the ugliest shirt he has ever seen in his life. Like, seriously, what the fuck was that? Pastel pink and bright cyan on the same shirt? He couldn’t stop the disgusted look on his face as he looked at that monstrosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie’s smile faltered for a second, and Eddie almost apologized for making a face, deciding instead to smile at him again for a second, before turning to Bill, not forgetting how annoyed he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better have a good explanation as to why the fuck we have so many DVD’s that I for sure don’t remember buying.” he pointed a finger at his roommate, pouting. “I had to get a stool and then shove around a bunch of cardboard boxes full of crap just for </span>
  <em>
    <span>a fucking Monopoly</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t remember any DVD’s.” Bill smirked, turning to the guests. “Stan and Richie are here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? You sure?” he flipped Bill off. “Hey, guys, welcome to our apartment. I need to take a shower, since </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone </span>
  </em>
  <span>made me look for stupid boardgames while he got ready, and now I’m covered in dust and god knows what else that was in that cabinet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie chuckled sitting on the couch, while Stan had already started talking to Bill. Eddie left to his bedroom, getting a change of clothes and going to the shower, trying to ignore how panicked he felt at that moment, an asthma attack beginning to form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got under the shower, sighing heavily and trying not to panic as if finally clicked that Richie was in the next room. The guy he has been texting and flirting with for weeks, the cute boy he had a crush on since day one, was right there, sitting on his couch, with that beautiful smile and that atrocious Hawaiian shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The feeling of the soap on his body always relaxed Eddie, he tried to enjoy his shower, scrubbing all of the dirt from the cabinets out of his body, trying to keep it short so he wouldn’t leave the guests hanging, especially not Richie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Eddie heard the jingle of keys, and a door being unlocked, opened and then closed again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh no, he fucking wouldn’t”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, turning the shower off and getting dressed quickly, forgetting to even brush his hair as he rushed to the living room, hoping to still see everyone there </span>
  <em>
    <span>“or else Bill’s gonna fucking pay”</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was met by Richie, alone on the couch, scrolling through his phone distractedly. Eddie took his moment to look at him for a bit longer, finally having a good view of the boy he only saw briefly through the weeks, examining his features with a small smile. He decided to focus on the way his hair curled, the small freckles on his face, and the way he adjusted his glasses every few seconds, his gaze lowering to that terrible shirt that </span>
  <em>
    <span>somehow</span>
  </em>
  <span> suited him perfectly, both physically and personality wise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Richie turned his head to him, seeming to finally notice his presence. His face got flushed for a few seconds while he eyed Eddie up and down, a small smirk forming on his face when he noticed Eddie was doing the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what you see?” Eddie huffed, annoyed, taking a seat next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That abominable shirt? No, thanks.” he snapped back. “Where did they go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Billiam said something about getting more snacks, and Stan wanted to tag along.” Richie looked back at his phone, adjusting his glasses. “I’d go with them but I didn’t want you to come back to the place totally empty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” he smiled. “Thought I’m gonna fucking murder Bill when he gets back here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie laughed, looking at him again, eyes focused on Eddie’s hair, seeming to remember something, then looking back at his phone for a second, before starting to speak in an unusually soft voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, it’s you.” he smiled, fidgeting with his phone. “Who would’ve thought, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I knew it.” Eddie tried to say it casually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You knew it?!” the brunette looked at him, wide-eyed. “Since when?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You told me your name… on Friday, before leaving the drugstore.” He replied, looking down. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how, so I asked Stan for help and he set this up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is why that motherfucker left me so quickly!” Richie groaned, hanging his head back. “I’m sorry, I already annoyed you enough via text, and in person too? Damn, you’re a saint, Eds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not my name.” he snapped again, a playful smile on his face. “I’m glad it’s you, though.” earning a surprised glance from Richie, he kept talking. “I mean it. It’s good to finally be able to talk to you face to face, and out of that drugstore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie looked surprised, adjusting his glasses again and looking down at his hands for a second. Eddie couldn’t read his expressions, and it was starting to get him absurdly anxious. What if Richie was disappointed? What if all that flirting was just a joke after all? What if-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad it’s you, too.” Richie said, softly. “I mean, I was expecting to have to choose between two cuties, but now I know they’re the same person!” he added, pinching Eddie’s cheeks and receiving a death glare, that quickly softened after seeing the smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I knew you’d be handsome.” he blurted out when Richie’s hands left his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p><span>“You said not many people appreciated the looks of Trashmouth Tozier. But I doubt it.” Eddie replied,</span> <span>sheepishly. “You’re really handsome, even though your fashion choices make me wanna puke.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Aww, Eddie Spaghetti has a crush on li’l ol’ me?” he tried to joke, looking genuinely surprised. “Seriously, though, did you fall and hit your head on that shower? Want me to take you to the hospital? There’s no way you really think I’m handsome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do! I don’t know why you’re so surprised about it.” Eddie complained, looking away, feeling his face hot. “There’s nothing wrong with how you look.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You hit your head so hard you got partially blind, apparently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I saw you before showering too, you know, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn, you’ve been partially blind for a while then, I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you.” Eddie laughed, getting a bit closer. “I’m serious, you look good, Chee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” he could see that Richie was blushing, staring at him so hopefully that Eddie felt a pang in his heart. Who'd dare tell Richie otherwise when he's clearly the prettiest boy Eddie has ever seen?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really. I like the way your hair curls, and the freckles on your nose. I like the way your front teeth are just a tad bit bigger than the rest.” he softly rested his hand on Richie's face, blushing as he felt Richie lean slightly into the touch. “I like how your glasses make your eyes look bigger than they really are, which makes them pretty cute. And, amazingly enough, I like how those horrendous Hawaiian shirts suit you so well. I like the pet names you give me and even the stupid nicknames you manage to come up with-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Eddie could keep going for an eternity, if it wasn't for the fact that Richie was now leaning into him, face inching closer to his. He smiled, closing his eyes and finally kissing him the way he wanted to since they first met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>✧༺♥༻∞ Richie ∞༺♥༻✧</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie was finally kissing Eddie. He was kissing Eddie and it was the best sensation in the world. He felt the hand on his cheek moving to his hair, humming happily to the feeling of fingers softly running through the back of his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He put a hand on Eddie’s waist, pulling him closer and smiling, feeling the smaller man lean into him happily. They ended the kiss a few seconds later, and Richie opened his eyes, looking at the flushed boy in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're too cute, Eds." Richie smiled, watching Eddie bury his face on Richie's chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Still not my name…" he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh  but you just said you like it." he knew Eddie could probably hear the smirk on his voice, which only made it funnier when he looked up at him, angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you, I can’t believe we just kissed and you’re still making fun of me.” Eddie complained, eyes opening wide for a second. “Oh, fuck, we kissed!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We finally kissed!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie couldn’t stop laughing, and Richie just stared at him, confused, before joining in the laughter too. They laughed until their bellies hurt and they felt dizzy, Eddie leaned into Richie and they just rested on the couch, getting cozy and happily melting into the cushions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty happy.” the smaller man smiled, closing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too...” Richie was about to say something else, when they heard the door opening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“D-Did you guys get the M-Monopoly?” Bill and Stan entered the room, carrying some bags. “Oh… I guess you guys d-d-didn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stanley the Manley and Billiam!” Richie exclaimed, feeling Eddie cringing next to him. “You guys took so long in that store that I got myself a boyfriend!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so I’m your boyfriend? Since when?” Eddie crossed his arms, smiling playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you rejecting me already, Eds?” he pretended to be hurt, putting a hand on his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, you guys are insufferable.” Stan rolled his eyes, smiling at his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You love us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah. Yeah, we do.” Bill smiled, leaving the bags on the coffee table and pushing Eddie’s legs out of the couch. “Now leave some s-pace for us, f-fuckwits.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm almost definitely doing an extra with a first date or something, I'm just not sure when, the only thing I have planned is a small piece of dialog lmao</p><p>°•☆•°•☆•°<br/>"Wanna see what I look like without the glasses? Let me warn you, though, it won't be like those romcoms where the person is ten times prettier with their glasses off, this is all you get." Richie said, pointing to himself.</p><p>"Shut up, I already find you attractive with the glasses on anyway." Eddie took the glasses form his face, gently.<br/>°•☆•°•☆•°</p><p>I'm not in the mood to write right now, but as soon as the inspiration comes I'll be here!</p><p>Thanks for reading  &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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